[movie=1602]

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Sprouse Twins getting controversial.

Wow, it sounds like this one might be more controversial than 'Bad Education', even. :o

These quotes are from some of the reviews that are highlighted at that site you linked, Cal:

From the Independent UK
The Ten Best Films At Cannes 2004
By Geoffrey MacNab, film writer

7. THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS
Asia Argento, 2004

Subtle it isn't, but in its own strident and uninhibited way, Asia Argento's adaptation of JT LeRoy's autobiographical novel about the son of a truck-stop prostitute in America's Deep South is strangely effective. Imagine Oliver Twist re-made as a horror pic and you'll come close to its essence.

And this one:

Also from the Independent (different article)

Asked about Argento's JT Leroy adaptation, 'The Heart is Deceitful!', 'Irreversible' director-about-town Gaspar Noe raved about 'the most incredible scenes of paedophilia I've ever seen'. Is that good? 'It's real,' he shrugged.

Also, this was in part of the review by Empire Online:

The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, a Gothic adaptation of J.T. Leroy’s novel about a young boy’s traumatic, cross-dressing adolescence. The movie’s attracted a lot of critical flak already, with some dubbing it the worst film at the festival; this year’s Brown Bunny, a 90-minute wallow in depravity. Asia wasn’t amused... "What you see as depravity is to me just another aspect of the human condition. I’m interested in how certain conditions form a human being," said Argento, who knows a thing or two about colourful childhoods herself. "But it’s not all depravity in life."

And finally, here's part of one that mentioned the Sprouse twins, from Eye Weekly in Toronto:

Above All Things is an adaptation of the novel by J.T. Leroy about a kid (played by twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse) who has the extreme misfortune of having Argento's whacked-out junkie hooker for his mother. She drags him through a somewhat surreal version of the American South that is defined entirely in terms of sex, drugs, violence and old-time religion. Uneven but exciting, it's a kissing cousin to Harmony Korine's Gummo and possibly even more crappity smacked in the head.

Love,
Sir J

This sounds like a film festival film. :censored:

[actor=1961] is in this as well.

A poster with the nick 'Kent' provided this review on B.O.Y.S. Forum.

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS
Starring Jimmy Bennett, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Asia Argento
Directed by Asia Argento

Hi, I¡¦ve just come back from the cinema where I watched THIDAAT, and here are some thoughts I have:

The story (from amazon¡¦s book description):

Jeremiah is a child nobody wants, and he passes swiftly from foster parents to his angry and vindictive teenaged mother, Sarah, to his fanatically Evangelical grandparents. Sarah, herself badly wounded by her punishing, Bible-obsessed parents, gave birth to the boy when she was only 14; she returns at 18 to claim him. "Nobody takes what's mine," spouts the foul-mouthed, pill-popping, paranoid young woman. It's soon clear that Sarah cares nothing for her son, who becomes an unwelcome tagalong on her transient cross-country misadventures in hooking louche sugar daddies, stripping, turning tricks for truckers and cooking up explosive "crystal" in one boyfriend's cellar. The boy, who begins to crave Sarah's punishment as a way of keeping his life in balance, is frequently whipped for bed-wetting and is raped by her unsavory boyfriends; his denial of his sexuality becomes a pathetic attempt to identify with his tormentor.

The film:

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the adaptation to the big screen: It has been toned down in a way that makes the movie watchable without giving up too much of the horror and tormenting of little Jeremiah (although the part where he had to live with his fanatically religious grandparents was way too short in my opinion). Argento actually managed to produce a film version that might be screened in the U. S. After all. I would have never guessed this possibility existed, given the source material.

The acting (superb!):

I cannot point out enough how excited I was about Jimmy Bennett¡¦s (Jeremiah aged 7) acting and appearance. His portrayal of an innocent but tormented soul (physical violence, humiliation, sexual abuse) was spot on and will put the faint of heart out of sleep for weeks! This little fella with his sad eyes has an enormous presence on screen. He owns the screen, the whole universe! I expect him to become huge as an actor some day. So watch out for Jimmy Bennett (upcoming: Anchorman, Amityville Horror).

Dylan and Cole Sprouse were stunningly great, too. Their fragile, angelic appearance combined with highly professional and very talented acting made them absolutely perfect to portray the tormented Jeremiah on the verge of losing it. Honestly, NOBODY in the world would fit in this part better. Their acting is so natural and therefore so sad, it will break your heart, I promise!
BTW, for all those Dylan bashers of the forum who think Cole is cute and Dylan¡¦s not (because he¡¦s become fat!): Dylan looks absolutely stunning when he takes his shirt off. In a long shirtless shot he reveals the posture of a Michelangelo statue. Or like an average Greek god! (Dylan has two distinguished moles on his right chest which makes it very easy to tell them apart. In case you wondered. Check out some Apple Jack caps soon, if you want).
The bottom line: Dylan and Cole need to get serious roles in A-movies or first class independent flicks in which they could show some of their acting skills (hopefully a film that centers around skinny-dipping or a sculptor they model for ƒº ). They really did not have the chance to show their talents in earlier efforts, did they? Well, I understand they are Italian citizens and speak Italian fluently. So maybe Europe¡¦s filmmakers will welcome them with open arms (like Argento did. Maybe Bernardo Bertolucci would... well, that¡¦s just speculation...)

The nudity:

There was no actual nudity, only implied one (except for a brief scene of Asia herself). But you know what? For the first time I¡¦m not disappointed over this fact but quite relieved, because I feel it would have violated the style of the storytelling of this particular film too much. The film did better this way and maybe gives it a chance to reach a wider audience than it could otherwise.
However, the imdb names some characters from the book that didn¡¦t make it into the film version. Apparently the film had been trimmed down. So let¡¦s see what the deleted scenes on the upcoming DVD will look like. Or probably a director¡¦s cut will emerge some day...

Bottom line:

Highly, highly recommended!

That's an excellent review by Kent, and I appreciate your reposting of it, Cal.

This is a DVD that I'll look for, when it's available!

Love,
Sir J

For those who have seen this film or read the novel, or who are interested in either, the following article is a must-read:

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In a nutshell...

The whole thing is a hoax. The author of this book, who claimed that it was all a true story based on his own experiences of abuse as a child, does not exist. None of it is true. The author is in fact a middle-aged woman, or something.

As you might expect, people are outraged.

Having seen the movie, I can't say that I'm shocked that it's all the product of someone's imagination.

Thanks for that link, joseph! It made for interesting reading.

I'm not shocked that it's the product of someone's imagination either. But I am somewhat shocked (surprised is more like it) that the character does not even exist!

I mean, it's one thing to lie about your own life and pretend to have experienced things you didn't experience, but this is different. The person we thought was the author of the books doesn't even exist!

I'm surprised no one else has reacted to this. It seemed like a big deal to me, but maybe not.

Maybe people in the US will react when (or if?) it plays in cinemas there.

Well, I didn't mean people in general, I meant people here, at BA.

But if it didn't have a lot of chances of playing in cinemas before, I'd say it's even more unlikely now that it ever will. The fact that it was based on a true story was the excuse everyone was using to justify the portrayal of abuse in the film. Now that it's all an elaborate fantasy, I have a feeling people will be even less sympathetic to it.

(In my opinion, it doesn't make much of a difference.)

I never judge a film like this on whether it is 'real' or not. I haven't read the book so when I watched the film I watched it like I'd watch a fictional drama. I'll certainly watch it with a different perspective next time, perhaps wondering what the 'motive' for the story is or was.

This movie has finally made it to DVD

released on monday, you can get it from   (You need to Login or Register

I got my copy today :D TWO DAYS EARLY!!! :D

wrote on 14. Nov 2005 at 22:49:

In a nutshell... The whole thing is a hoax. The author of this book, who claimed that it was all a true story based on his own experiences of abuse as a child, does not exist. None of it is true. The author is in fact a middle-aged woman, or something. As you might expect, people are outraged.

The writer is interviewed in a DVD extra, and is a bit weird, but not middle aged, and strange as it may seem is actually a man

There is even a piece in Time magazine about J. T. LeRoy being an invented person.

Teddy, the person you saw interviewed in the DVD extra is an actor, hired by the woman who pretends to be J.T. LeRoy.

Read the article I linked for more info.

To me this whole thing supports the 'theory' of certain individuals' invented or imagined abusive pasts or childhoods. We all know that sexual abuse does occur but I think I lot of people are unaware just how convincing some so-called victims can be. It's a weird way of gaining attention.

Yes, Cal. I agree.

But again, I'm somewhat surprised that no one here has really reacted much to the revelation that J.T. LeRoy doesn't even exist. I mean, if it was just a case of a man inventing some stories of abuse about his childhood, it wouldn't be anything to write home about. Surely this kind of thing is far from uncommon. Those who believed it might be shocked or angry or embarrassed to have been so gullible, but at least the person does exist - he just turns out to have been a liar.

What is so weird about this case is that it's not a case of someone lying about their childhood - it's a case of the entire character being made up. J.T. LeRoy does not exist. Technically, I guess it hasn't been "proven" but the evidence for it is overwhelming.

But what is even more insane, though, is that the charade goes on. Even though most of the world is now aware that J.T. LeRoy is a fictional character, he continues to make public appearances. A recent issue of Maisonneuve Magazine (a Montreal-published sort of New Yorker/Harper's Magazine for a younger generation) announced on the cover: "J.T. LeRoy interviews Carrie Fisher." Now it seems that he also appears in DVD extras of The Heart Is Deceitful.... I think it's fascinating that everyone complicitly decides to let the fantasy go on.

wrote on 16. Nov 2005 at 18:53:

Having seen the movie, I can't say that I'm shocked that it's all the product of someone's imagination. Thanks for that link, joseph! It made for interesting reading.

You might really be surprised what really goes on in certain elements of society.

MJ

While I might be MJ, the story was just too "out there" for me to believe it.

i just read the book of this considering how graphic some part of the book are i wondering how the movie was made.

There aren't any terribly graphic scenes in the movie. There is no nudity (as far as I remember) and the scenes where the boy's character is involved in sexual activity are shot in such a way that you can't see anything.

In the one scene that would have been the most "shocking" to see - the one in which he has sex with his mother's boyfriend, dressed up as her - was not even shot with a boy actor! Instead, this scene is shot from the boyfriend's fantasy perspective, with Asia Argento playing the part of the boy dressed up as her.

To be honest, I found that scene rather silly. If the scenes are so shocking that you have to resort to that kind of "cheating," then you might as well not make a movie of it at all.

This film was highly touted at the Cannes festival two years ago, and was playing at one of the screenings on the beach, but tickets to the picture were unavailable.

Two years later, after reading these reviews, it seems like there's no need for disappointment in having missed this film at the festival.    

Thanks for all the thoughts on this film.  All those mindless IMDB posts whither in comparison to the words and thoughts that one reads here.

Well, I saw this movie last night, and I can't claim to be as impressed as "Kent."  

It was not a terrible film, except for the disturbing material it was portraying.  The adults and the situations were all too real.  That's probably what's SO disturbing.  I have known these people!  I have known these neighbors.  I have known these social workers.

On the other hand, it's also not surprising that it's NOT really an autobiography.  Jeremiah is nowhere NEAR screwed up enough to have been the product of such a mess.  Yes, he's screwed up.  Yes, his head and his heart don't know which way is up.  But still...

But here's the catch: There's no way a kid growing up like that could grow up and write such an autobiography.  No way.

Overall, I thought the movie was watchable - after all, it's got some mighty fine talent in it - but it missed its mark.  I guess I just never connected with the characters enough.  Sure, I cringed when the boy was whipped.  Sure, I thought: I'd KILL that guy.  This movie had great potential, but it didn't move me like it could have, and I'm an easy target (ie, I cry easily for kids in such a plight)!

Maybe JT Leroy is a Pseudonym?  I enjoyed the movie alot! it's been a while since I saw it, but I will watch it at the next chance, I love this movie as much for Jimmy as for the Sprouses!
I'm actually glad that the movie is based on fiction, because that means the boy the movie is about never actually suffered all that abuse!

[actor=3]
[actor=4]

Cole and Dylan SPROUSE are also in this movie in part of 11 years-old Jérémiah.

[actor=1961]
[actor=3]
[actor=4]

:) I saw again this very good movie. In part of 7 years old Jérémiah, Jimmy BENNETT have a very good and moving play. Cole and Dylan SPROUSE also in part of 11 years old Jérémiah. My movie rating is 10/10 !